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Itching to pick up a pen and pencil and give this whole comics thing
a try? Here are some great resources to help you understand comics, from
the first line you draw or line of dialogue you write to the ways comic
storytelling works on your brain and heart.
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 Comics and Sequential
Art
By Will Eisner
Poorhouse Press 1994
ISBN: 0961472812
One of the first texts, by the grandmaster himself, to consider
comic art and attempt to explain its format, inner workings, and
style. |
 Graphic Storytelling
and Visual Narrative
By Will Eisner
Poorhouse Press 1996
ISBN: 0961472820
A companion to Comics and Sequential Art, this volume concentrates
on how to tell a story in visual forms, drawing information from
comics to filmmaking. |
 So, You Want to
Be a Comic Book Artist?: How to Create Your Own Superheroes, Sell
Your Strip, and Become Famous!
By Phil Amara, Art by Pop Mhan
Beyond Words Publishing, 2001
ISBN: 1582700583
An excellent and helpful book with great advice about how to get
started as a comic book artist, including how to start, how create
a portfolio, and how to show off your work. |
 Manga Mania: How
to Draw Japanese Comics
By Christopher Hart
Watson-Guptill Publications 2000
ISBN: 0823030350
Ever wonder just what the differences are between how to draw manga
and how to draw American comics? The answers are in this book, along
with great guides for traditional characters and movements. |
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Understanding Comics
ISBN: 006097625X
Revinventing Comics
ISBN: 0060953500
By Scott McCloud
Harper Collins 1994
 After Eisner's Comics
and Sequential Art, Understanding Comics is a must-read
for anyone curious about how comics work -- as art and as a way
to tell stories. Just why do we care so much about a mouse? Or a
superhero? Reinventing Comics goes into how the comics industry
has been changed by technology.
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 The Art of Comic
Book Inking
By Gary Martin
Dark Horse Comics 2002
ISBN: 1569716137
An informative guide to all the ins and outs of the most overlooked
art of comics -- inking.
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 Drawing Dynamic
Comics
By Andy Smith
Watson-Guptill Publications 2000
ISBN: 0823003124
A great guide for drawing comics in the traditional American style.
Especially good for learning about the variety in cross-hatching
and just what makes a superhero different, visually, from an ordinary
guy.
There are actual quite a few titles in this series, all of which
offer great insight into specific parts of comic art:
Dynamic Figure Drawing
ISBN: 0823015777
Drawing Dynamic Hands
ISBN: 0823013685
Dynamic Light and Shade
ISBN: 0823015815
Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery
ISBN: 0823015874
all by Burne Hogarth
Watson-Guptill Publications |
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 The Art of Comic
Book Writing
By Randy Stradley
Dark Horse Comics 2002
ISBN: 1569715793
In the same series as The Art of Comic Book Inking, this
time author Stradley, one of the best editors in he business, gets
into the nuts and bolts of how to write for comics. The book includes
perspectives from such top authors as Kurt Busiek, Peter David,
Ron Marz, John Arcudi, Dave Gibbons, Mark Waid, and Steven Grant.
back to the top |
 Groo
Groo the Wanderer author Sergio Aragones' home on the web
Jinxworld
Ultimate Spider-Man author Brian Michael Bendis' home on
the web
MarkCrilley.com
Akiko author Mark Crilley's home on the web -- also check
out the Akiko
website.
Will Eisner
The Princess and the Frog author's home on the web
Amelia Rules!
Amelia Rules! author Jimmy Gownley's home on the web
Amy Unbounded
Amy Unbounded author Rachel Hartman's home on the web
Tintin
Tintin author Herge home on the web
The Astonish Factory
Herobear and the Kid author Mike Kunkel's home on the web,
with some very cool buttons to push and background to see
Scott McCloud
Understanding Comics author's home on the web
Tezuka Osamu World
Astro Boy author Tezuka Osamu's home on the web
Elfquest
Elfquest author Wendy and Richard Pini's home on the web
Alex Ross Art
Kingdom Come artist's home on the web
Boneville
Bone author Jeff Smith's huge and very fun to explore home
on the web
Judd Winick
Pedro and Me creator's home on the web -- check out the sections
of Pedro and Me that didn't quite make it into the final
cut!
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The
Comic Page
An extensive and not terribly long history of comics from 1896 through
to the early 1980s
The Comics Journal
The web version of one of the most respected mags in the industry.
You do need to pick up the paper copy to read many of the articles,
but this site is great to see what they cover.
The Comics Continuum
Daily news stories on anything and everything related to comics
-- great for a quick fix!
Comic Book Resources
Extensive site full of news stories, reviews, online comics, community
bulletin boards and more!
Comics2Film
Leap along with Spidey -- from comics to the silver screen -- news,
buzz, and interviews galore
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The Comics
Get Serious
Reviews of comics and graphic novels from D. Aviva Rothschild --
great for new titles
Diamond Comics Bookshelf
Diamond Comics is one of the biggest distributors of comics and
graphic novels around the country -- however, this link is here
not as a "product placement," but instead to point you toward their
reviews, in the librarians section, written by graphic novel guru
and advocate Kat Kan. Kat Kan also writes an excellent column on
graphic novels in VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates), an excellent
journal devoted to Young Adult librarianship and services.
Graphic
Novels: An Annotated List
A short annotated list by YA librarian Dawn Imada with great age
recommendations.
Graphic
Novels
Another quick take from the Berkeley Public Library.
Recommended
Graphic Novels for Public Libraries
Reviews of comics and graphic novels from Steve Ratieri, an Ohio
Librarian and comics enthusiast. Especially informative about superhero
series and titles.
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DC Comics
The place to go for all the latest on Superman, Batman, and the
entire Justice League of America. They also have some great online
comics featuring your DC favorites.
Dark Horse Comics
Very dense and exciting site connecting you to the independent comics
industry. Features, interviews, merchandise -- it's all here. Warning:
this site is very graphic heavy and is more fun if you have Flash
installed -- if not, don't worry, you're given a link to a non-Flash
version.
Image Comics
Image Comics does not maintain its own main site, but this link
leads to all of their linked publishers, including Top Cow and McFarlane.
Marvel Comics
The place to go for updates and news on Marvel's world, from Spiderman
onward. The site includes some great interviews and a bulletin board
where Marvel head honcho, Bill Jemas answers fan questions.
Oni Press
Independent publisher of Magic
Pickle and a variety of newer comics
Viz Media
Leading distributor of Japanese manga and anime in the U.S.
TokyoPop
Up and coming distributor of Japanese manga and anime in the U.S.
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